


Harvest

by la_reine_rouge



Series: Adventures in Salaria [4]
Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: F/F, Gen, god I love my stupid girls, harvest, it's a Salarian tradition like Christmas, so it seems fitting to post during Christmas time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 14:43:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17061713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/la_reine_rouge/pseuds/la_reine_rouge
Summary: The harvest season is over, and it's time to celebrate. Aranathi and Morrigan surprise their most treasured others with gifts, and Cairo and Quin find themselves scrambling to get presents suitable enough in return. Across town, Megaan explains the purpose of Harvest to a confused Delta, who then gives an unexpected gift of her own.





	Harvest

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sketchingdoodlesandthings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sketchingdoodlesandthings/gifts).



> I wrote this for my friend a bit ago upon request, so with the Christmas season I decided to upload it! I'm still working out a ton of stuff about Salaria itself, particularly holidays and towns, but she asked if there was going to be something like Christmas or Thanksgiving so I whipped up Harvest. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy, and as always feel free to post any comments, questions, or revisions~

The castle was decorated in the most elegant of fashions. Red and gold sashes floated between pillars and tapestries hung from the bannisters. Even the guards were dressed in the most elegant forms of their typical uniforms. It was a celebration for the end of the harvest season, and the castle town of Salaria was filled with music and laughter. Families that hardly got to see each other during the season were coming together with open arms and dishes to pass. Along the expanses of sandy streets, the men stitched together the pieces of tapestry each family had made to craft a familial crest of sorts and hung them from the top of their homes. Each building shimmered with color under the hot sun. 

Aranathi grinned wickedly as she skipped down the halls, keeping her hands behind her back to shield the present from view lest she be surprised before her search was over. She enjoyed surprising her warrior whenever possible, and there was no chance she was expecting this at all. The only family that did not take part in this particular endeavor was the royal one, whose entire lineage was close-knit as it was. That being said…

"Cairo!” She pranced down the hall towards her guardian the second her eyes landed. Cairo was speaking to her father and Uncle Morg, but turned her head with a slightly put-out yet fond expression on her face. 

“Princess. To what do I owe the torture?”

Aranathi pouted like a pro. She had been worried about springing this on her, considering how soft her guard really was on the inside, but now she was filled with mirth as she whipped her hands out in front of her. “Happy Harvest!”

The expression on her warrior’s face quickly changed from lightly surprised to mildly horrified. She took in the red-wrapped present, then her princess’s face, then back again. Aranathi grinned cheekily back. 

“But, my princess, you – we agreed – you said –“

“Oh, I know what I said. I lied a little. Or a lot. May Windeba strike me down. The works.” She offered the gift again, smile wide as ever. “Open it!”

Even if she wanted to, denying a gift on Harvest was considered sacrilege – from the princess herself, even as her attendant and confidant, it was practically treason. But even if it wasn't, even though no one outside their immediate group would know, the red general would never do something that could hurt her princess's feelings. Cairo’s eyes wandered to her adoptive father’s, but the Captain was grinning just as deviously as he held a gift out for the king himself. Quin looked as shell-shocked as she had. “Morrigan… come on, now…”

Alas, their pleas fell on deaf ears, and both parties found themselves backed into a wall (an actual wall, not just a figurative one) before they finally took the gifts and opened them with as much reluctance as they could muster. Of course, both were highly satisfied – Cairo had needed a new canteen after she used her last one to collect the poison, and Quin regretted ever telling his soldier about his love of antique brass ornaments – so they both naturally felt even worse about having nothing to provide. Not that they could really be blamed, of course, considering that the agreement had been no gifts and they had been betrayed. At least, that was what they told themselves. Not that it relieved any of the guilt they both felt.

“I cannot believe that I believed her.” The ruby warrior was muttering under her breath as she turned over the canteen in her hands. Its markings were intricate, beautifully carved, definitely expensive. Cairo had never seen such craftsmanship – which meant someone had to have spent the time and effort looking for and creating the piece. That meant she had been planning this from the start. “She totally set me up to look like an ass and I let her.”

Quin was nodding in agreement as he admired the sheen of the cufflinks. “Believe me, I know. I am the king, for Windeba’s sake. My soldier should not be giving gifts to me ever, especially when I don’t have something for him in return.”

They were silent for a while, staring forlorn at their gifts. But then. It was as though a lightbulb went off. Both straightened and looked at each other. The king smiled first.

“Milady Cairo… are you busy this afternoon?”

Cairo’s smile was far more wicked. “My king… I thought you would never ask.”

________________

Finding the perfect gift took all of an hour for the both of them, and by the time they returned to the castle their respective others had just noticed their disappearances. Aranathi was entirely too smug as she sauntered up to her guard, hands behind her back again. Cairo was relieved to notice she did not have another present.

“Soooo, where did my lovely darling father and my wonderfully loyal knight go to together?” She raised her eyebrows suggestively, mockingly, and it pleased the red-adorned woman to no end when she saw it drop like a stone in water. “Cairo!”

The simple white box had a large red bow slapped atop it, and the princess took it with a reverence typically reserved for a holy item. Already, her eyes were welling with tears, so Cairo could do nothing but smile with a softness she reserved for only one. “Open it, my princess.”

Sitting on red silk was nothing more than a single piece of jewelry. It was nothing special, simply a golden band studded with stones, but the honey topaz and dark onyx dancing along the cuff stood out and called all attention to themselves, far away from the typical ruby sitting large and proud in the center. It was very clear what the stones stood for. The tears fell without hesitation as Aranathi held it up to the light. “How in Kahala did you –“

Cairo shrugged casually. “Saw it in a street vendor’s cart.” 

Quintano did not comment on the fact that no, she did not, he knew firsthand she had had it specially made and that now she would be searching for a different gift for the upcoming ceremony. Not that it was required of her, of course, but the warrior made a point of acquiring gifts for her princess just like every other guest did – most likely because no matter how many gifts she got, only Cairo’s ever brought her to tears with happiness. Instead, he merely pursed his lips and presented his own soldier with the object behind his back. “It was useless to wrap, I’m sure you understand.”

It was not the first time he had seen the older man cry, but it certainly was one of the most surprising. The waterworks took control almost before he had pulled the dagger out from behind his back – likely due to the sniffling of the princess while her guard patted her head gently like one would a bift – and the end result was a flood. Quin gaped slightly as the large man clutched the tiny knife in his hands like it was a precious child. When he looked up, Morrigan was a mess.

“I-it’s sssssoooo b-b-b-beau-ti-hic-ful!” He looked ready to bring it to his face and cuddle it, and the king was suddenly unsure if he should have picked up a sharp weapon that could easily harm his idiot of a captain. He reached out carefully, ready to take it in case something happened, and was only slightly surprised to find himself encased in strong arms. Morrigan buried his face into the space between his shoulder and neck, despite being taller. Quintano couldn’t help but pat his back while he exchanged a look with the red woman. Cairo looked altogether too smug for her own good while his daughter clutched her tight, and sent a thumbs up with a mischief-laden smirk. 

He’d have to have words with her later about that.

______________________________________________

“I do not understand this holiday.”

Megaan sighed heavily as she leaned back against the stone building. Delta was adorable, she couldn’t attempt to deny that, but her endearing qualities had a way of becoming tedious – the most predominant of them being her extreme, almost depressing, innocence towards every sort of normalcy the honey-colored woman had once taken for granted.

“C’mon, Del, it’s not that hard!” she urged. “Think of it this way: the harvest season ends, celebration begins, we all give something to the people we love. Easy, huh?”

Delta paused and regarded her carefully with those molten silver eyes that Megaan could happily drown in. “So, you mean to tell me the loss of food is a good reason to celebrate?”

The soft words gave her pause. Honestly, she’d never thought about it that way. There she was, right back to being endearing. Megaan grinned wide and leaned down towards her with a twinkle in her eyes. “That’s not why we’re celebrating, silly! We celebrate the end of the year, and that we had a good harvest to get us through the times when we have no new crops. We’re celebrating the beginning of new life, not the ending of what was once there.” Sitting atop the balcony, she curled her legs further inward so as to lean closer towards the woman sitting solely on the railing. “Now, does that make sense?”

There was a considering look in her eye as the former assassin mulled over her words. It was almost unsettling how expressionless she could be on the regular, but that just made the little things she did that much more exhilarating. Delta’s expressions were a gift in and of themselves. As she sat free on the slender rail, she looked somewhat at peace. Megaan couldn’t be more thrilled to see this side of her.

“Allow me this one walkthrough.” At Megaan’s nod, she started. “You mean to tell me, that every year after the crops have all been harvested, people then come together to celebrate the end of working long hours before shortly starting anew and hoping they have enough supplies to last them through the season of no growth?” 

Well, that came out a lot darker than she had imagined it would be, but Megaan was more than willing to take it. Her eager nod made the considering look grow more prominent.

“What constitutes these gifts?”

“You can give whatever you want, really! There are no rules as to how many gifts you give, or how many people you give them to, or even what that gift it is. Pick whatever you want!”

“And I do this…for someone I love.”

Again, an equally excited nod. “Yes, yes you do!”

There was another considering look before Delta moved forward. The last thing Megaan expected was to suddenly feel lips on her own. They were soft, mostly, slightly chapped in that place where she always worried her lip between her teeth whenever she was hiding her emotions. It was a quirk the nutmeg woman had noticed long ago, and always wondered how it would feel. Megaan found her enjoying that rough scruff against her own lips. The drag meant it was real. The taste of her. The smell. The sounds of wet lips against wet lips and little gasps for air. 

All too soon it was over, and the brunette was left staring at nothing. Quickly, she scurried to the edge of the bannister, almost falling over the side but grabbing herself just before she did. Her green eyes sought the woman who was oh-so-entrancing, but there was no sign of her. Just a single heart carved into the wood rail where she had been sitting.

Suddenly, she wished she could destroy property again, that she hadn’t made that promise with the princess, because she so wished she could take that little carving with her.

(Later, when the current residents decided to move out, Megaan bought the place for more than they were asking even though she never actually stayed there. Except sometimes, when she and her lover went out on the town and didn’t want to be disturbed.)


End file.
